Star Trek Online (STO) gets one of its biggest updates to date today with the launch of Season 8: The Sphere. The expansive new free content update adds the Solanae Dyson Sphere, a mysterious construct that players can travel to in the Delta Quadrant by way of an Iconian Gateway. Trek fans will know what both of those are but for the uninitiated, the Iconian Gateway is a transport device capable of sending a person to virtually anywhere instantly. Though hypothetical in the real world, in the Star Trek universe, the Dyson Sphere is a massive spherical construct first encountered in the Star Trek: TNG episode Relics.

With that brief history lesson out of the way, lets get on to the content. Season 8: The Sphere adds the Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone. Located inside of the Dyson Sphere, the zone acts as a new hub where players can meet up, to explore, engage in PvP, or undertake missions as part of the Joint Command Operations. In addition to all the new Dyson Sphere content, the Federation side tutorial has also undergone a revamp. Newly created characters now begin at Starfleet Academy with a new fully-voiced tutorial and improved mission flow.

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Stacy "Martuk" Jones was a long-time news editor and community manager for many of our previous game sites, such as Age of Conan. Stacy has since moved on to become a masked super hero, battling demons in another dimension.